Politics: Media Questions Fiorina’s Stat About Pay Gap

After Carly Fiorina delivered an alarming statistic about women’s unemployment during last night’s Republican Debate in Colorado, media outlets were quick to point out that Politifact proved the number false—back in 2012, when Mitt Romney cited the same figure while running for president. When the Wednesday’s debate moderator prompted the candidates to speak about the gender wage gap, Fiorina took the chance to remind voters that “Ninety-two percent of the jobs lost during Barack Obama’s first term belonged to women.” However, according to Mother Jones, the number emerges from a study that examined unemployment from January 2009 to March 2012—a time period that certainly took place during President Obama’s first term, but that does not include the end of his term, by which time women actually demonstrated job gains. As news of Fiorina’s mistake spread, headlines became about her “wildly misleading” claims and “fuzzy relationship with the truth.” The latter is a reference to the second Republican debate, during which Fiorina made claims about Planned Parenthood that even Fox News forced to critique.